七情六欲 — “Refers to the full range of human emotions and sensory desires”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 七情六欲?

泛指人的喜、怒、哀、乐和嗜欲等。

七情六欲 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to the full range of human emotions and sensory desires”. Encompassing joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, dislike, and various cravings and sensual pleasures. It broadly describes the natural emotional and physiological needs of a human being. Literally, “seven emotions and six desires”.

Frequency

七情六欲 Pronunciation and Pinyin

七情六欲 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
七	qī	2	the number seven
情	qíng	11	emotions, feelings, love
六	liù	4	the number six
欲	yù	11	to want or desire

Example Sentence with 七情六欲

即使是最超然的人，也无法完全摆脱七情六欲的影响，毕竟我们都是凡人

Even the most detached person cannot completely escape the influence of the seven emotions and six desires, as we are all ultimately human.

Origin and Story of 七情六欲

The idiom '七情六欲' (Qī Qíng Liù Yù) refers to human emotions and desires.

The 'seven emotions' (七情) have different interpretations. According to 'Liji' (The Book of Rites), they are joy (喜), anger (怒), sorrow (哀), fear (惧), love (爱), dislike (恶), and desire (欲). In Buddhist teachings, the seven emotions are joy (喜), anger (怒), grief (忧), fear (惧), love (爱), hatred (憎), and desire (欲).

The 'six desires' (六欲) also have varying explanations. 'Lüshi Chunqiu' (Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals) states they are desires arising from life (生), death (死), ears (耳), eyes (目), mouth (口), and nose (鼻). Buddhism, on the other hand, defines the six desires as those related to color/form (色欲), physical appearance (形貌欲), dignified demeanor (威仪姿态欲), speech/sound (言语声音欲), delicate touch (细滑欲), and human thought/perception (人想欲).

Collectively, '七情六欲' represents the complete spectrum of human feelings, passions, and sensory cravings.